(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis today urged bishops, priests and deacons always to be humble and to recognize that their ministry is an unmerited gift of God’s mercy. Speaking at the weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope said the Lord continues to shepherd his flock with love through the ordained ministry of bishops,…
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(Vatican Radio) “It was a very special day for me being the representative of Ireland here at the Holy See”, says Ambassador Emma Madigan, who presented her credentials to Pope Francis in a private meeting Tuesday morning at the Vatican.
In doing so, Ambassador Madigan becomes the first woman to hold the position and re-establishes the resident embassy to the Holy See from Ireland in Rome. The Irish government closed the embassy in November 2011 citing economic reasons. In the intervening years relations were maintained by a non-resident Ambassador.
Speaking to Emer McCarthy, the Ambassador describes her welcome as “a great experience”: “I was received very warmly by Pope Francis although the ceremony itself around the credentials was formal, the discussion itself was informal and it was a very relaxed conversation”.
Listen:
The Ambassador says that this conversation “covered many things. We spoke of priorities that are very dear to Ireland such as our development program, our concern regarding the plight of Christians and other religious minorities in the world today. I was able to update Pope Francis on talks in Northern Ireland and of course on recent developments in Ireland more broadly”.
Ambassador Madigan said Pope Francis “responded very well to the updates I was giving him and expressed very warm interest in our development program, which perhaps in many ways chimes with his own messages in ensuring that the vulnerable and marginalized are not left behind”.
According to the Ambassador Ireland is currently in the process of “reviewing its own foreign policy” in the context of “trying to achieve a more fair just and stable world, making sure vulnerable and marginalized are not left behind, for example the disabled, the unemployed youth and, of course, these are also priorities of Pope Francis so he responded with great interest”.
On a more personal note the Ambassador says what she wasn’t expecting was the Pope’s sense of humor, “we had a few laughs, he had a very open and very warm approach to me. After the ceremony he met my husband and son and he gave my son a high five”.
Ms. Madigan concludes that it was “a special day to be able to bring the best wishes of the President of Ireland and the Government of Ireland to Pope Francis and ensure him of our continuing support and the ever deepening relations between Ireland and the Holy See”.
Previously Ambassador Madigan was Assistant Chief of Protocol in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Throughout her 14 year career, she has also served as Vice Consul in New York, Private Secretary to the Secretary General and Deputy Director of Europe and UN Coordination Section.
Ambassador Madigan has a degree in History and Italian and a Masters in European Studies from University College Dublin.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) “To lose Christianity from the birthplace of Christianity” in the Middle East “would be to lose the richness of the tapestry of this pluralist region:” that’s according to Jordan’s Prince El Hassan bin Talal who granted an exclusive interview to Vatican Radio’s Tracey McClure at the Royal Palace in Amman.
Listen to Part I of this two part interview with HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal:
Speaking of Islamic State militants ( Daesh in Arabic) as the “cold-hearted, dead hearted human beings in name only” who are killing and terrorizing both Muslims and Christians in Iraq and Syria, His Royal Highness said “the fact that the Christians are suffering is abhorrent to all of us, but the reality is that we are one community: Christians of Arab culture, Muslims of Arab culture. We have built the wombs of civilization over thousands of years together. Inasmuch as losing Jews of Arab culture would also do the same.”
“It is absolutely essential to recognize that we have to develop a new template of hope,” he added.
In this, Part I of a two-part interview, Prince El Hassan called for the establishment of a “Vatican-type consultation” comprising the juridical schools of Sunni and Shia Islam and the Ibadi (Oman and Algeria) to be held in the holy city of Mecca, “the capital of all Muslims.” Asked if the creation of such a central Islamic authority in Mecca is a key factor to the efficacy of interreligious dialogue, his Royal Highness replied that it will create “a point of reference for discussion with the Vatican and with religious and holy cities.”
“The symbolism of Mecca is wasted if we do not create such a dialogue which is in the word ‘shura,’ (consultation) a part of Muslim belief.” He also urged the creation of a “universal zakat” or charitable foundation that “could put the smile on the face of millions of people. After all, let us not forget that 70% of the world’s refugees are Muslims! What are we wealthy Muslims doing about it?” And, “If there is money being spent, it’s being spent on the very weapons that we’re bombing each other with.”
Prince El Hassan, who has been at the forefront of interfaith dialogue for many years, visited Pope Francis in the Vatican in September. He expressed his hope that Pope Francis’ possible visit next year to the United Nations would offer the opportunity for the world to call for a “new international, binding, humanitarian order that proscribes conflict, that prescribes the creation of humanitarian interventions.”
Jordan, a country which historically has welcomed millions of Palestinian and other refugees, has been struggling over the last three years to offer hospitality to more than 1.5 million refugees who have fled the conflict in neighboring Syria. Since Daesh’s savage campaign last summer to rid Iraq of its ancient Christian community, the Kingdom has also received some 5 thousand Iraqi Christian refugees who escaped from Mosul and the Ninevah Plains. The rising number of refugees has put considerable strain on the population of Jordan which now approaches 11 million.
Prince El Hassan reflected on the humanitarian crisis facing the region: “I don’t think there is going to be any more room for refugee camps anywhere in the region. I don’t believe in refugee camps. I believe in humanitarian zones to be set up on the borders of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkey respectively. I think that the sooner that these are set up also on Syrian soil the better.”
Christian aid and development agencies like Caritas Jordan are doing what they can to help the Muslim and Christian victims of conflict. Prince El Hassan described them as Christians with a capitol “C:” “armies of volunteers, professional doctors and nurses,” and other experts trying to “wage peace” in a world at war. He praised them as “wonderful, noble people who are doing their utmost for the persecuted of this world.”
He warned that global warming will affect the homes and livelihoods of millions of people, setting tens of millions “on the move.” Statelessness which has affected at least ten million people, is another “issue that has to be tackled,” he added.
“We are living the consequences of war,” the Prince affirmed, and the “bitterness being created” has not been adequately taken into consideration by politicians who have failed to make human dignity and justice their top priorities. “If people continue to live in misery, there is no doubt that whatever Daesh will be (within the next few years) or whatever succeeds it in terms of the hatred industry, will have new recruits. And this is what I find so terrible.”
Part II of Tracey McClure’s interview with HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal will be published later this week.
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Below please find a transcript of Part I of Tracey McClure’s interview with His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal:
Q Your Royal Highness, Jordan is now dealing with a huge refugee crisis with more than a million and a half Syrian refugees, now we are seeing also an influx of Iraqi Christians – the figures are around five thousand – who have come into the country. How is Jordan coping under this big strain?
A. “The strain is further accentuated by the fact that not only the figures that you mentioned have made the population of Jordan approach 11 million people, were it not for the 1967 war, we would have been 2 and a half million people in 1992. So we have almost quadrupled the expectations and thirty-two thousand, according to the civil status bureau, Syrian children have been born in Jordan during this crisis from 2011 to 2014. So if you consider seven years down the road, if people continue to live in misery, there is no doubt that whatever Daesh (Islamic State) will be by that time or whatever succeeds it in terms of the hatred industry, will have new recruits. And this is what I find so terrible. I personally have been involved with refugee situations: in 1967, the refugee situation in 1990 – just to name two instances where hundreds of thousands of Jordanians have either been repatriated forcibly, out of the Gulf region as in the case of 1990, or were forcibly evicted from Gaza in the post 1967 period. We had a caring capacity from 1948 to 1967: we gave citizenship. But today, I don’t think there is going to be any more room for refugee camps anywhere in the region. I don’t believe in refugee camps. I believe in humanitarian zones to be set up on the borders of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey respectively. I think that the sooner that these are set up on Syrian soil the better.”
Q I’ve just come from seeing several of the operations run by Caritas, the Catholic humanitarian aid and development agency. They are working very hard to do what little they can – they are not a big organization. How is the Jordanian government cooperating with small organizations, Christian organizations like Caritas that are trying to help meet the needs of the refugees?
A. “I think that there is a very deep appreciation of the fact that these Christian – and I mean it with a capital “C” – organizations are working in a sense as Henry Dunant put it however, the founder of the Red Cross: “to make war more humane.” Now, I know that they feel that this is all they can do. I know that they are not an army waging war; they are armies of volunteers, professional doctors and nurses, infrastructure experts who have travelled the world to try and “wage peace.” But unfortunately, the politics of this mad world in which we live presents us with a reality that the world is at war. So, I think that the sooner we start to look at the issue of human dignity as a region, the sooner we have a real census of who is a mobility stakeholder, who is a national stakeholder, and how many tens of millions of people are going to become that way as a result of man-made disasters for example, the (ed. rising sea level) of the Mediterranean means that 45 million Egyptians are going to be on the move by 2030. Drought in Iran means another 45 million people will be on the move by 2030, so that’s 90 million people before you can say, “peace be upon you!”
“Over and above that, is the legacy of over twenty million refugees and stateless persons. Statelessness today has been recognized by the United Nations as an issue that has to be tackled and that there are ten million stateless people. I think that the figures are understated. I don’t think that anybody really cares at the political level, (about) the consequences of war. And we are living the consequences of war and I think that the bitterness that is being created is a direct result not of the work of these wonderful, noble people who are doing their utmost for the persecuted of this world but I think politicians unfortunately have not given human dignity and the call for justice which we just made to the United Nations, as one of the millennium development goals. I find it extraordinary that the call for justice does not even exist in the Millennium Development Goals. Something has to be done and this is where I feel that Pope Francis has stated it very clearly: that inflexible hostility is simply no way to run human affairs.”
Q I’ve spoken to some Jordanians today and when they heard that I was coming to see you, they said: “We love Prince El Hassan! He has been so respectful of the Christians and of pluralism in the Middle East!” Yet, they also expressed much concern and dismay that the Muslim world did not speak out more strongly against the violence perpetrated by extremist organizations like Daesh against Christians in Iraq. What more can the Muslim community do to condemn these practices?
A. “I think the attitude towards the Mujahedin who were supported by the United States when the United States supported the invasion of Afghanistan by Pakistan and by Gulf supported organizations, followed by the Taliban, followed by the creation by the Qaeda, followed by the creation of the Ansar (al-Islam) followed by the creation of Daesh… it seems to me that one, what should be done, is to establish a Vatican-type consultation in Mecca. Mecca represents one and a half billion Muslims. The Daeshes of this world are cold-hearted, dead-hearted human beings in name (only) who are killing Muslims, who are putting to flight and to refuge Muslims even (moreso than) Christians. The fact that the Christians are suffering is abhorrent to all of us, but the reality is that we are one community: Christians of Arab culture, Muslims of Arab culture. We have built the wombs of civilization over thousands of years together. And to lose Christianity from the birthplace of Christianity would be to lose the richness of the tapestry of this pluralist region. Inasmuch as losing Jews of Arab culture would also do the same. So I think that it is absolutely essential to recognize that we have to develop a new template of hope. And in that context, I hope that when Pope Francis visits the United Nations next year, that the world ecumenical community – and I am coming to Rome quite soon for further conversations between the Pontifical Council (for Interreligious Dialogue) and Muslims from all over the world – that the world calls for a new international, binding humanitarian order that proscribes conflict. That prescribes the creation of humanitarian interventions if we want to be a civilized region in the world. We are only a region in name. There are three strong countries: Israel, Turkey and Iran. Arabs, whether Muslim or Christian, have become firewood.
Q You speak of a need to perhaps create some sort of central authority for Islam if I understand you correctly, in Mecca. Such an authority we have for example in the Catholic Church in the figure of Pope Francis and in the Vatican. Do you see that as key in Islam: to be able to be an effective partner in interreligious dialogue?
A. “One cannot expect anyone to understand the rise of Daesh and its allies without understanding the rise of Wahhabism which was a feature of the 18 th century and which of course, continues to the present day. The wisdom of the King of Saudi Arabia, the founder of the State of Saudi Arabia, the “unifier of the Arabian peninsula” as he is described, in 1934 was that he regarded Riyadh as the political capital of Saudi Arabia and Mecca as the capitol of all Muslims. Consultation is essential. At the end of Haj (pilgrimage) there should be Ashura Council representing the four schools of jurisprudence of the Sunna, the two of the Shia and the Ibadi in Oman and Algeria – they will create a point of reference for discussion with the Vatican and with religious and holy cities. We have to remember that what is important is not the politics. What is important is the morality, the ethics, the rising above the conflict. To give people hope. And this is why I think that the symbolism of Mecca is wasted if we do not create such a dialogue which is in the word “shura ” (consultation) a part of Muslim belief. It is wasted if we do not create a universal zakat (charitable) foundation that could put a smile on the face of millions of people. After all, let us not forget that 70% of the world’s refugees are Muslims! What are we wealthy Muslims doing about it?
Q To what extent have you seen some feedback from your other Islamic partners?
A. “Well, there is a silent majority and there is a “silenced” majority. Some feel that the enemy of my enemy is my friend: that somehow, the Qaeda’s and the Talibans and the what have you, the Daeshes and so forth, are the enemies of the United States and it’s the United States that has entered this region and been involved with so many wars. Obviously this country is very close to the United States and very close to the alliance that is envisaging standing up to the Daeshes of this world. But on the other hand, I think that if we are to be respected as Arabs, Muslim and Christian, we have to do something for ourselves. So there is a lot of talk: a call for a regional development bank for example. A call for a zakat organization which I have been involved with for over 35 years, but there is very little “do.” If there is money being spent, it’s being spent on the very weapons that we’re bombing each other with.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
Vatican City, 11 November 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, read the message sent by Pope Francis to the participants in the 67th General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, of which Cardinal Bagnasco is president. The meeting, which will finish next Thursday, is being held at the Domus Pacis of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, and is dedicated to the life and formation of priests. In his message, the Holy Father writes that convening in Assisi recalls “the great love and veneration that St. Francis nurtured for the hierarchical Holy Mother Church, and in particular for priests … through whom the maternity of the Church reaches the entire People of God. How many of them we have known!” he exclaims. “We have seen them spending their lives amongst the people of our parishes, educating the young, accompanying families, visiting the sick at home and in hospital, and taking care of the poor”, in the knowledge that the gravest error is to separate oneself from others. “Holy priests are sinners who have been forgiven, and instruments of forgiveness. Their existence speaks the language of patience and perseverance; they are not tourists of the spirit, eternally undecided and unsatisfied, as they know that they are in the hands of He Who never fails in His promises, and whose Providence ensures that nothing can ever separate them from their belonging. … Yes, it is still the time for priests of this substance, ‘bridges’ enabling the encounter between God and the world”. “Priests like this cannot be improvised: they are forged through the valuable formative work of the Seminary, and Ordination consecrates them forever as men of God and servants of His people”. However, “the identity of the presbyter, precisely as it comes from above, demands he follow a daily itinerary of reappropriation, starting from that which made of him a minister of Jesus Christ. … The formation of which we speak …. is without end, as priests never cease to be disciples of Jesus and to follow Him. Therefore, formation as discipleship accompanies the ordained minister throughout his life”, writes the Holy Father. “Initial and continuing formation are two parts of a single entity: the path of the presbyter disciple, enamoured of his Lord and constantly following him”. “You are aware that there is no need for clerical priests whose behaviour risks distancing people from the Lord, or functionary priests who, while they fulfil their role, seek their consolation far from Him. Only those who keep a steady gaze on what is truly essential may renew their acceptance of the gift they have received. … Only those who allow themselves to conform to the Good Shepherd find unity, peace and strength in the obedience of service; only those who take their breath in presbyteral fraternity leave behind the falsehood of a conscience that claims to be the epicentre of everything, the sole measure of their feelings and actions”. The Pontiff concluded by expressing his hope that the participants in the Assembly would experience “days of listening and comparison, leading to the definition of itineraries of permanent formation, able to link spiritual and cultural, communicative and pastoral dimensions: these are the pillars of life formed according to the Gospel, preserved in daily discipline, in prayer, in the guardianship of the senses, in care for oneself, in humble and prophetic witness; lives that restore to the Church the trust that she first placed in them”….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has written to the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbot ahead of the Group of 20 summit that opens this weekend in Brisbane. In the letter, he asks the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies “not to forget that many lives are at stake behind these political and technical discussions”.
Listen:
The Pope writes “it would indeed be regrettable if such discussions were to remain purely on the level of declarations of principle.” He identifies key areas such as malnutrition, unemployment (especially among the young), an increase in exclusion, and attacks on the environment.
Speaking of responses to current military crises, Pope Francis says “the whole world” is waiting for a coordinated agreement through the UN for a “definitive halt to the unjust aggression directed at different religious and ethnic groups, including minorities, in the Middle East”. He adds “It has become more and more evident that the solution to this grave problem cannot be a purely military one, but must also focus on those who in one way or another encourage terrorist groups through political support, the illegal oil trade or the provision of arms and technology. There is also a need for education and a heightened awareness that religion may not be exploited as a means of justifying violence.”
He also appeals for support for victims of the crises, especially refugees.
“The situation in the Middle East has revived debate about the responsibility of the international community to protect individuals and peoples from extreme attacks on human rights and a total disregard for humanitarian law. The international community, and in particular the G20 Member States, should also give thought to the need to protect citizens of all countries from forms of aggression that are less evident but equally real and serious. I am referring specifically to abuses in the financial system such as those transactions that led to the 2008 crisis, and more generally, to speculation lacking political or juridical constraints and the mentality that maximization of profits is the final criterion of all economic activity. A mindset in which individuals are ultimately discarded will never achieve peace or justice.”
Below please find the full text of the Holy Father’s Letter:
To the Honourable Tony Abbott
Prime Minister of Australia
On 15 and 16 November next in Brisbane you will chair the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the world’s twenty largest economies, thus bringing to a close Australia’s presidency of the Group over the past year. This presidency has proved to be an excellent opportunity for everyone to appreciate Oceania’s significant contributions to the management of world affairs and its efforts to promote the constructive integration of all countries.
The G20 agenda in Brisbane is highly focused on efforts to relaunch a sustained and sustainable growth of the world economy, thereby banishing the spectre of global recession. One crucial point that has emerged from the preparatory work is the fundamental imperative of creating dignified and stable employment for all. This will call for improvement in the quality of public spending and investment, the promotion of private investment, a fair and adequate system of taxation, concerted efforts to combat tax evasion and a regulation of the financial sector which ensures honesty, security and transparency.
I would ask the G20 Heads of State and Government not to forget that many lives are at stake behind these political and technical discussions, and it would indeed be regrettable if such discussions were to remain purely on the level of declarations of principle. Throughout the world, the G20 countries included, there are far too many women and men suffering from severe malnutrition, a rise in the number of the unemployed, an extremely high percentage of young people without work and an increase in social exclusion which can lead to criminal activity and even the recruitment of terrorists. In addition, there are constant assaults on the natural environment, the result of unbridled consumerism, and this will have serious consequences for the world economy.
It is my hope that a substantial and productive consensus can be achieved regarding the agenda items. I likewise hope that the assessment of the results of this consensus will not be restricted to global indices but will take into account as well real improvements in the living conditions of poorer families and the reduction of all forms of unacceptable inequality. I express these hopes in light of the post-2015 Development Agenda to be approved by the current session of the United Nations Assembly, which ought to include the vital issues of decent work for all and climate change.
The G20 Summits, which began with the financial crisis of 2008, have taken place against the terrible backdrop of military conflicts, and this has resulted in disagreements between the Group’s members. It is a reason for gratitude that those disagreements have not prevented genuine dialogue within the G20, with regard both to the specific agenda items and to global security and peace. But more is required. The whole world expects from the G20 an ever broader agreement which can lead, through the United Nations legal system, to a definitive halt to the unjust aggression directed at different religious and ethnic groups, including minorities, in the Middle East. It should also lead to eliminating the root causes of terrorism, which has reached proportions hitherto unimaginable; these include poverty, underdevelopment and exclusion. It has become more and more evident that the solution to this grave problem cannot be a purely military one, but must also focus on those who in one way or another encourage terrorist groups through political support, the illegal oil trade or the provision of arms and technology. There is also a need for education and a heightened awareness that religion may not be exploited as a means of justifying violence.
These conflicts leave deep scars and result in unbearable humanitarian situations around the world. I take this opportunity to ask the G20 Member States to be examples of generosity and solidarity in meeting the many needs of the victims of these conflicts, and especially of refugees.
The situation in the Middle East has revived debate about the responsibility of the international community to protect individuals and peoples from extreme attacks on human rights and a total disregard for humanitarian law. The international community, and in particular the G20 Member States, should also give thought to the need to protect citizens of all countries from forms of aggression that are less evident but equally real and serious. I am referring specifically to abuses in the financial system such as those transactions that led to the 2008 crisis, and more generally, to speculation lacking political or juridical constraints and the mentality that maximization of profits is the final criterion of all economic activity. A mindset in which individuals are ultimately discarded will never achieve peace or justice. Responsibility for the poor and the marginalized must therefore be an essential element of any political decision, whether on the national or the international level.
With this Letter I express my appreciation for your work, Prime Minister, and I offer my prayerful encouragement for the deliberations and outcome of the Summit. I invoke divine blessings on all taking part and on all the citizens of the G20 countries. In a particular way, I offer you my prayerful best wishes for the successful conclusion of Australia’s presidency and I willingly assure you of my highest consideration.
From the Vatican, 6 November 2014
(from Vatican Radio)…